On 13.05.2016 Tsibogang Christian Action Group witnesses the graduation ceremony of the first five groups that had undergone the Families Matter Program. This program that was introduced in South Africa by the Aurum Institute after it has successfully been running in Kenia before aims to empower parents of teenagers to communicate with their children about the sensitive issues of sex and sexuality.
In preparation our home care givers had identified parents and guardians of orphans and vulnerable children aged between 9 and 12 years in our data base. After being explained the aim of the course the parents and guardians were requested to enrol for a six week long course. Three groups of 20 parents were formed in Mahikeng, one in Welbedacht and one in Borakalalo.
The groups met weekly for three hourly sessions that were facilitated by Tshepo Bodumele and Tebogo Matsinyane. Topics that were covered during these sessions included:
- Getting to know your child
- How to communicate
- How do you supervise your child when it is going out
- Stages of puberty, changes in the reproductive organs
- HIV/AIDS; STI, Family Planning
- Difficult questions your child might ask
- Peer pressure
- Sexual Abuse
The sessions were held in an interactive way and included role plays. At the fifth session parents were requested to bring their children along and to practice communication with them under the supervision of the facilitators. The children were allowed to choose the topic of the conversation out of a variety of sensitive topics and the parents and were tasked to communicate their views in an appropriate manner.
During the graduation ceremony several parents testified that after this course they feel much more confident to talk to their children about sex and sexuality. They thanked the facilitators and Tsibogang Christian Action Group for making this possible. This course indeed addresses a dire need in our society where many adolescents are left alone with their questions around sex because parents and guardians lack the courage and the skills to talk about them.
We are looking forward to the second phase of the program that will involve groups from Shiela, Khunotswane and again from Mahikeng.
Wolfgang Hermann